Introducing Modes: Training Your Digital Coworker for Every Role

In the CRE Agents platform, a Mode is how you teach your digital coworker to behave in a specific context. Think of it like setting your teammate’s mindset, tone, and area of focus before starting a new assignment. A Mode defines the coworker’s personality, its purpose, the tools it can use, the workflows it has access to, and any role-specific knowledge that will help it best support a given use case, user, or function.

Whether you’re an investor relations associate, asset manager, financial analyst, or any other role in CRE, your job requires nuance. Modes allow you to shape your digital coworker to act in character as a skilled team member who understands the behavioral context of the work at hand.

Why Modes Matter

Unlike Workflows, which are deterministic and outcome-specific, Modes are about dynamic adaptability. They ensure your digital coworker behaves appropriately, even when tasks or questions vary. Modes allow for:

Behavioral consistency: Responses stay aligned with expectations across many use cases.
Contextual awareness: The coworker knows who they’re assisting, why, and in what capacity.
Flexible application: The output adapts to the user’s prompt while maintaining role fidelity.

In short, Modes give your coworker a professional identity. Workflows give them a task list.

What is Included in Mode Specifications

Every Mode is made up of a simple but powerful configuration called Mode Specs. These specifications determine how your digital coworker behaves in that Mode:

Mode Name – A short, descriptive title (e.g., “Asset Management Analyst,” “Research Brief Generator”).
Mode Description – A high-level summary of what the Mode does and who it’s for.
Mode Instructions – A fully optimized system prompt crafted using the 7R pipeline.
Tools Enabled? – Should the Mode be allowed to use tools like web search or calculators?
Workflows Enabled? – Should the Mode be able to launch and run Workflows?
Knowledge Files (optional) – Files the user uploads that enrich responses in this Mode. Ask how each should be used (e.g., grounding answers, reference data, internal playbooks).

These Mode Specs allow CRE Agents to deliver behaviorally consistent, context-sensitive support across your CRE organization.

Examples of Modes in Action

To show how Modes work in practice, here are a few real-world examples. Each is paired with its Mode Specs to illustrate how behavior, tools, and knowledge come together to create a task-ready digital coworker.

LP Concierge Mode

What it does: Trained to answer LP questions with empathy, accuracy, and polish. Adapts tone based on investor profile and urgency.

Mode Name: LP Concierge
Mode Description: Responds to investor questions with professionalism, empathy, and clarity. Ideal for IR teams fielding LP inquiries.
Mode Instructions (Summary): You are an experienced Investor Relations Associate. Respond with warmth and confidence. Prioritize transparency, clarity, and investor trust. Adapt tone to the level of sophistication of the LP. Always flag urgent or sensitive topics with care. Reference uploaded fund materials when relevant.
Tools Enabled?: Yes (e.g., web search for market context)
Workflows Enabled?: Yes (e.g., Investor Q&A Prep)
Knowledge Files (optional): Fund pitch decks, quarterly reports, internal LP FAQ doc

Narrative Builder Mode

What it does: Helps you shape compelling stories for investment memos, pitch decks, and internal presentations. Emphasizes clarity, persuasion, and audience-fit.

Mode Name: Narrative Builder
Mode Description: Assists in crafting persuasive narratives for memos, pitch decks, and presentations.
Mode Instructions (Summary): You are a strategic communications expert for a CRE investment firm. Help write content that is clear, persuasive, and structured for institutional audiences. Prioritize logic flow, emotional arc, and visual storytelling. Use uploaded materials as supporting content but reshape them into compelling storylines.
Tools Enabled?: No
Workflows Enabled?: Yes (e.g., IC Memo Copy-Writer)
Knowledge Files (optional): Market research PDFs, prior pitch decks, investment thesis memos

Candidate Assessment Mode

What it does: Evaluates resumes, interview notes, and reference data to score potential hires. Offers insights aligned with your team’s values and standards.

Mode Name: Candidate Assessment
Mode Description: Evaluates potential hires based on structured criteria, resumes, interview transcripts, and notes.
Mode Instructions (Summary): You are an HR partner with a deep understanding of our team’s culture, values, and hiring standards. Provide thoughtful, balanced assessments of candidates using a competency-based framework. Surface potential red flags, culture fit, and strengths. Never assume intent—stay fair and objective.
Tools Enabled?: No
Workflows Enabled?: Yes (e.g., Candidate Scorecard Generator)
Knowledge Files (optional): Role descriptions, interview transcripts, company values doc

Excel Analysis Mode

What it does: Answers questions about spreadsheets. Surfaces insights, errors, or key metrics in plain English.

Mode Name: Excel Analysis
Mode Description: Provides plain-language analysis of spreadsheet data, helping users understand and extract insights.
Mode Instructions (Summary): You are a financial analyst who explains complex spreadsheet data to busy executives. Respond in clear, jargon-free language. Highlight trends, anomalies, and key drivers. Avoid speculation—stick to what’s observable in the file.
Tools Enabled?: Yes (e.g., Map Operating Statement)
Workflows Enabled?: No
Knowledge Files (optional): Excel models, chart of accounts, prior reporting templates

Negotiation Help Mode

What it does: Prepares negotiation strategy tailored to counterpart, leverage points, and desired outcomes.

Mode Name: Negotiation Help
Mode Description (Summary): Supports preparation for real estate negotiations by surfacing strategies, framing positions, and simulating counterpoints.
Mode Instructions: You are a negotiation strategist with experience in CRE deal-making. Help the user clarify goals, define leverage, and anticipate opposing arguments. Emphasize psychology, deal structure, and economic terms. Maintain a calm, confident tone.
Tools Enabled?: No
Workflows Enabled?: Yes (e.g., Negotiation Strategy Builder)
Knowledge Files (optional): Prior LOIs, deal memos, counterparty profiles

How Modes Differ from Workflows

If a Mode is your digital coworker’s role and behavior, a Workflow is their playbook.

Modes define how your digital coworker thinks, communicates, and responds.
Workflows define what your coworker does in a step-by-step, repeatable sequence.

Examples of Workflows:

These are procedural, outcome-focused sequences. Workflows ensure predictability. Modes ensure consistency in behavior and tone across a wide range of possible interactions.

You’ll often run Workflows inside a Mode. For example, you might run the “Investor Q&A Prep” Workflow while operating in “LP Concierge Mode.”

Final Thought

At CRE Agents, we believe your AI should act like your best team member, someone who gets the job done and knows how to behave in every scenario. Modes are how we teach digital coworkers to act in a specific way.

Train once, adapt endlessly. That’s the power of Modes. Want to be one of the first to train and use a digital coworker for commercial real estate? Join the CRE Agents waitlist.